Eating healthy makes me so hungry! Anyone else?

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aorto001
aorto001 Posts: 5 Member
edited June 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,
I sure I'm not alone on this one, though I may be. I have made a huge switch in my diet trying to eat non processes foods, sticking to mostly vegetables, fruit and white meat, I focus of fueling my body and it's needs rather than eating what I want. I've been doing good...however, I feel like I can't stop eating lol. Mind I'm eating healthy things, but,i feel like I'm eating every hour or so...Idk why or how to stop it and was wondering if anyone else out there is experiencing this!?

Replies

  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    What foods are you eating?
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
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    You might try adding in more whole grains like brown rice, oats, or quinoa, or high-fiber vegetable protein like beans or chickpeas. Veggies and fruit digest fairly quickly, and white meat is low in fat, so adding a little more whole grain and a bit of good fat like olive oil or avocados might help the hunger.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    How many total calories are you eating? Some people like eating lots of small meals.

    Also, if you'd rather not eat so often, can you try eating to a schedule for a while. I tend to get hungry/want to eat at times I am used to eating. When I decided to stick to 3 larger meals I wanted to eat between meals for a while and then got over it relatively soon. I'd eat raw vegetables if I really wanted something at first.
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
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    Are you sure you are even hungry and just not bored? Drink something, chew gum. You shouldn't need to eat every hour unless you are eating like 100 calories of steamed broccoli and calling a meal.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Yeah, I agree, some whole grains would help there. I'd be hungry on that diet, too.

    Don't forget about the need for variety as well. Sounds like you're imposing some strict rules on yourself - why only white meat for example? - and I certainly feel more satisfied if my diet is varied.

    To answer your question, no, I don't feel hungry because of eating healthily - I DO feel hungry some of the time just now, but that's because  I'm eating 500 calories a day less than I need in order to lose weight. I would feel MORE hungry in that deficit if I was eating mostly junk, not less.

    If you're trying to lose weight too, a bit of hunger is to beexpected, but if it's getting hard to live with you might need to adjust what you are eating. Which foods work best to fill you up does vary from person to person, so you might need to experiment.
  • iecreamheadaches
    iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
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    I'm never like ravenously hungry. But I find that directly after eating the healthy foods, it FEELS like I'm still super hungry. I know that I'm not usually, so I finish what I'm currently eating, wait probably half an hour and I'm fine.

    Like when I ate lunch today, I felt so hungry after I finished. I sat down, waited for a half hour and drank some water and now I'm good. I feel 100% full and if i had eaten anymore i'd be sitting here regretting the overfull sensation i'm sure.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
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    I'm not sure if I'm eating healthy. I eat grilled pork, boiled vegetable, white, brown rice, noodle, fried fish, etc.

    I have retrained my body, my perspective on eating that I no longer feel uncomfortably hungry. I eat strategically and enough when I need to. I do feel empty if I haven't eaten in 8-10 hours.

    Obviously I can eat all the time because the body thinks it's fun. I just have to understand that that fun is mediocre, and in fact painful and harmful in the long run. Action wise, I would just substitute the food fun with other funs. The body will stop nagging for foods.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    It also depends how long you've been doing this, when I first reduce the amount I'm eating I'm pretty hungry for a week or so. I've acclimatised now.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    More fat, more grains/complex carbs.
  • kermax39
    kermax39 Posts: 149 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Make sure your eating your total fat allowance for the day, mine is about 50g.....I find im fuller if I allow myself the lot, low fat foods just make me hungry and I always feel dissatisfied afterwards......which makes me overeat.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    I'd suggest eating more fat and fiber. And if you aren't meeting your protein goal, more protein.
  • muffinsandcakes
    muffinsandcakes Posts: 333 Member
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    You don't necessarily need to turn your diet completely around; a few tweaks can go a long way, and you are more likely to stick to your new diet if it isn't too differerent from what you are used to.

    "Processed food" doesn't mean much. Most food is processed before we eat it. As long as the majority of what you eat is nutritionally dense, and your diet is varied and balanced, including some fresh fruit and vegetables, you are doing fine. Cooking from scratch gives you more control over what you eat, but there's nothing inherently wrong with readymade foods per se. Look at the nutritional profile of each individual item instead of cutting out random products based on a vague categorization.

    Vegetables, fruit and white meat is great, but shouldn't take up all your calories. (Whole) grains, dairy, fish, seafood and red meat, eggs, nuts and seeds, fats - the more variety, the better, both for nutrition and for taste.

    You should be able to eat what you want and eat healthily at the same time. Eat something you like every day. At least don't eat food you don't like just because you think it's "healthy". No food is mandatory. There are no "weight loss foods", and no foods are "fattening". Just log correctly and hit your calorie goal.

    When people say they are being good, it usually means that they are being overly restrictive, and it's just a matter of time before they have to give up, and go back to their old habits, plus eating a little more to make up for the period of deprivation. Instead, find a way of eating that you can see yourself happily follow for the rest of your life (adjusted for portion size as you enter maintenance).

    You should eat on a schedule that is right for you. If eating many small meals is your thing, do that. It doesn't matter for weight loss, directly, but for adherence, so indirectly, it can affect how successful you will be.

    I forgot to answer your question :#
    No, I'm not bothered by hunger when I eat healthily.
    Eating healthily would imply getting enough of everything you need but not too much of anything, so I'm not sure if your diet qualifies as "healthy".

    Kudos to that!!!:D
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
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    Make sure you have enough healthy fats like olive oil in order to feel satisfied. Too low fat makes you feel starving.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    edited September 2016
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    These are my really general tips for hunger:

    1. Make sure that your calorie goals are actually set appropriately. Don't skip this step. A lot of people set goals that are too aggressive and then wonder why they're having a hard time. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    2. Look for foods higher in protein, fat, and fiber. These help us stay full and more satisfied longer. If you're using MFP's default settings, try to consider protein, fat, and fiber as minimums to reach every day rather than maximums to stay below.

    3. Drink plenty of fluids. Some people really do confuse thirst and hunger.

    4. Get plenty of rest. This includes sleeping enough and taking rest days from the exercise. Sometimes our bodies look for food when they're exhausted.

    5. Play around with your meal timings. Some people do really well on 5-6 small meals a day and others feel like they want to gnaw their own arm off eating like that. Skipping breakfast, eating breakfast, 16:8 fasting, 6 small meals, 3 larger meals, snacks, no snacks, meal timing won't make a big difference to your weight loss, but it may help your hunger levels, mood, concentration, gym performance, etc. throughout the day. Don't be afraid to try a different way and see if it helps.

    6. Wait it out. If you know you're eating enough and the other steps above aren't helping, you may just have to wait it out. Our bodies send out hunger signals partially out of habit. If you eat at a certain time every day your body will start to get hungry at that time. The good news is that these signals can be retrained to stop telling you to be hungry all the time. The bad news is that you may just have to be hungry for a little bit while that happens.

    7. I also think it's important to remember that there's a habitual component to hunger. This goes along with point #6, but if you eat because you're bored or you're used to eating in front of the TV or in the car or whatever it is, then you can replace those habits with others that are better for you. Things like keeping water on hand to sip instead of snacking or picking up hobbies that keep your hands busy or that get you out of the house more can help out a little while you're retraining your hunger cues. You might need to pay attention to why you're eating/hungry or what you're feeling when you eat and try to replace food with other things, but it can be really beneficial over time.

    ETA: I didn't notice this was necro'd. Looks like the OP isn't around anymore. Maybe the tips will help someone else, though.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I'd suggest eating more fat and fiber. And if you aren't meeting your protein goal, more protein.

    All of this.
    And this, too!
    You don't necessarily need to turn your diet completely around; a few tweaks can go a long way, and you are more likely to stick to your new diet if it isn't too differerent from what you are used to.

    "Processed food" doesn't mean much. Most food is processed before we eat it. As long as the majority of what you eat is nutritionally dense, and your diet is varied and balanced, including some fresh fruit and vegetables, you are doing fine. Cooking from scratch gives you more control over what you eat, but there's nothing inherently wrong with readymade foods per se. Look at the nutritional profile of each individual item instead of cutting out random products based on a vague categorization.

    Vegetables, fruit and white meat is great, but shouldn't take up all your calories. (Whole) grains, dairy, fish, seafood and red meat, eggs, nuts and seeds, fats - the more variety, the better, both for nutrition and for taste.

    You should be able to eat what you want and eat healthily at the same time. Eat something you like every day. At least don't eat food you don't like just because you think it's "healthy". No food is mandatory. There are no "weight loss foods", and no foods are "fattening". Just log correctly and hit your calorie goal.

    When people say they are being good, it usually means that they are being overly restrictive, and it's just a matter of time before they have to give up, and go back to their old habits, plus eating a little more to make up for the period of deprivation. Instead, find a way of eating that you can see yourself happily follow for the rest of your life (adjusted for portion size as you enter maintenance).

    You should eat on a schedule that is right for you. If eating many small meals is your thing, do that. It doesn't matter for weight loss, directly, but for adherence, so indirectly, it can affect how successful you will be.

    I forgot to answer your question :#
    No, I'm not bothered by hunger when I eat healthily.
    Eating healthily would imply getting enough of everything you need but not too much of anything, so I'm not sure if your diet qualifies as "healthy".

  • JenniferNoll
    JenniferNoll Posts: 367 Member
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    Here is a concrete tip. Soup. That's right, soup, specifically a clear, low calorie soup before a meal.

    I get dry miso soup mix in packets from the Asian food store. It contains dry miso paste, seaweed, and freeze-dried tofu. It is also extremely simple to make at home. It doesn't contain a lot of ingredients, and it does taste better than the mix. It does contain a fair amount of sodium, but otherwise it's very, very good for you. It's also very low in calories. I find that if I eat a serving of it 20 minutes before a meal, I consume much less food.

    It's also really yummy.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Right?
    I'd be upset if I couldn't have my favourite foods like oreos, ice cream and chocolate....so I just eat them and log them into my calories.


    psst: It's not the type of food that causes weight gain, it's the amount of calories. If you're angry during weight loss, yer doing it wrong. ;)

    Edit: I see I've already posted. Blame the lack of caffeine.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    aorto001 wrote: »
    Hi everyone,
    I sure I'm not alone on this one, though I may be. I have made a huge switch in my diet trying to eat non processes foods, sticking to mostly vegetables, fruit and white meat, I focus of fueling my body and it's needs rather than eating what I want. I've been doing good...however, I feel like I can't stop eating lol. Mind I'm eating healthy things, but,i feel like I'm eating every hour or so...Idk why or how to stop it and was wondering if anyone else out there is experiencing this!?

    How many calories are you eating?